Surprising DD With Disney Trip - Advice? Recommendations?

[lizzywednesday]

So, DH and I are surprising DD with a trip to WDW next month.

I suggested to DH that we get her some fun things from the Disney Store Outlet, but I don't want to go overboard ... and we also plan to get her a couple of souvenirs (like Mouse Ears) at the park.

I'm thinking stuff like the lights that she can use at the parades or during fireworks (assuming she's up for that) and maybe a cool t-shirt or two.

Anything else you might suggest?

[candaceb]

autograph book & pen to go with it - so you have it the first time you see a character (though they are everywhere in the parks and resorts).
If you're not staying on property, we found it very convenient to buy the magic bands so you don't have to get out your ticket every time you enter a park or want to use a fastpass.
I do Tinkerbell gifts every trip. Every morning, there is something when DS wakes up. He caught me after the last trip because he found a box from one of the toys after we got home, but I bet he'll still want me to do it next time. A bunch of the stuff came from the Dollar Tree, but I also had things like a Playmobil space ship the day we went to Kennedy Space Center and some minifigs to trade when we went to Legoland.
Getting custom shirts is also fun. I have a friend in Connecticut who makes them pretty inexpensively - https://www.facebook.com/GreenMomE/

[TwinFoxes]

Light up toys. Those things are so expensive in the park! If they have them at the outlet, buy them there. My kids love having them for the parades/fireworks and they are seriously like $20 at the parks (and usually get broken pretty quickly). Also, t-shirts. I don't mind buying tees at the park, but I like to buy them because I like them, not because the kids just want something, ANYTHING, to wear with Mickey on them. Actually, Target often has Disney tees that are even cheaper than the outlets.

Have fun!

[lizzywednesday]

Light up toys. Those things are so expensive in the park! If they have them at the outlet, buy them there. My kids love having them for the parades/fireworks and they are seriously like $20 at the parks (and usually get broken pretty quickly). Also, t-shirts. I don't mind buying tees at the park, but I like to buy them because I like them, not because the kids just want something, ANYTHING, to wear with Mickey on them. Actually, Target often has Disney tees that are even cheaper than the outlets.

Have fun!

I was specifically thinking the light-up toys and they are sold for ~$10 and under at the Outlet. Thank you for confirming I was on the right track!

We find that the t-shirt sizing is better at the Outlet than the stuff at Target and the fabric is more substantial - DD has been wearing an Outlet-purchased green Yoda t-shirt for several years and it still looks really good, but her Elena of Avalor t-shirt from Target got pretty worn, pretty fast.

[lizzywednesday]

autograph book & pen to go with it - so you have it the first time you see a character (though they are everywhere in the parks and resorts).

Is a fat marker better than a pen for costumed characters? (I think I read that here.)



If you're not staying on property, we found it very convenient to buy the magic bands so you don't have to get out your ticket every time you enter a park or want to use a fastpass.

I am pretty sure we are not staying on property; I will talk to DH about Magic Bands. (And remind him that DD wants a green one.)


I do Tinkerbell gifts every trip. Every morning, there is something when DS wakes up. ...

That's a cute idea.

[jgenie]

Is a fat marker better than a pen for costumed characters? (I think I read that here.)


I think the clicker sharpie pens work well. You don’t have to keep track of the cap and they’re bigger for the characters to grab.

I would also throw in a few packages of glow necklaces. They’re cheap if you buy ahead and fun to share with other kids at parades.

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[SnuggleBuggles]

Agree with glow bracelets/ necklaces. A gift card to Disney would be my personal vote. Obviously not a "budget" item intended to save you $ but loaded with like $30-50 so dd can buy what she wants with no comments or objections from her parents is really nice! I let my kids use theirs on treats I might have said no to or souvenirs. :)
Get cracking on tickets and fast passes! You're behind on those if you haven't started. :)

[keh602]

You've gotten some great advice! I was going to suggest the clickable Sharpies, glow bracelets/necklaces, and gift cards. We buy gift cards at Target, where we save 5% with our Red Card.

How exciting! We just got back from a Disney trip last week, and I already can't wait to go back.

[candaceb]

I just saw that GapKids is having a good sale on their Disney stuff: https://thekrazycouponlady.com/2018/10/02/gapkids-babygap-disney-collection-40-off-extra-10-off-free-shipping

[lizzywednesday]

Agree with glow bracelets/ necklaces. A gift card to Disney would be my personal vote. Obviously not a "budget" item intended to save you $ but loaded with like $30-50 so dd can buy what she wants with no comments or objections from her parents is really nice! I let my kids use theirs on treats I might have said no to or souvenirs. :)

DH has a souvenir budget ... and his heart set on getting her R2D2 mouse ears.

But the gift card will make her feel so grown up! Good idea. I'll let him know.



Get cracking on tickets and fast passes! You're behind on those if you haven't started. :)

I was given to understand that DH has taken care of the tickets, but I wasn't at all sure about fast passes. We may be waiting in line with the multitudes.

[lizzywednesday]

You've gotten some great advice! I was going to suggest the clickable Sharpies, glow bracelets/necklaces, and gift cards. ...

I'll stock up on glow necklaces - she loves making friends by sharing them at 4th of July, so it'll be a great thing to have on hand for parades.

I'll check the pricing for the light-up toys at the Outlet. Whenever we go, she's been especially fascinated by the ones that spin, so I was thinking one of those would be great.

[SnuggleBuggles]

DH has a souvenir budget ... and his heart set on getting her R2D2 mouse ears.

But the gift card will make her feel so grown up! Good idea. I'll let him know.



I was given to understand that DH has taken care of the tickets, but I wasn't at all sure about fast passes. We may be waiting in line with the multitudes.

Don’t do that! Get those ticket numbers and add them to the website. You don’t want to wait in line if you don’t have to!


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[lizzywednesday]

Don’t do that! Get those ticket numbers and add them to the website. You don’t want to wait in line if you don’t have to! ...

I can't. He has all the info and leaving it up to him (and if FastPass costs extra) means we're waiting in line. We'll make the best of it.

[candaceb]

I can't. He has all the info and leaving it up to him (and if FastPass costs extra) means we're waiting in line. We'll make the best of it.

Fast pass does not cost extra. If you don't use it, you are wasting money because you will be spending more time in line and probably miss some of the best rides.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I can't. He has all the info and leaving it up to him (and if FastPass costs extra) means we're waiting in line. We'll make the best of it.

The tickets have numbers on them. You put those numbers on the website. You book 3 fast passes. It's free and easy. I wish there was some way you could appeal to him to not be stubborn about this!

[jgenie]

Fast pass does not cost extra. If you don't use it, you are wasting money because you will be spending more time in line and probably miss some of the best rides.

This is so true. You’re spending a lot of money for the trip. You should take every advantage you can get to make the most of your time there.

[mikala]

This is so true. You’re spending a lot of money for the trip. You should take every advantage you can get to make the most of your time there.I third this! We've had great experiences with fast passes and they definitely reduce line waiting crankiness and reduce the pressure to hit everything because you know your top rides are covered.

[DualvansMommy]

Fast passes do not cost any money. Since the park tickets are quite expensive as it is, it’s only a given and make sense you as a group take advantage of those FP!

Otherwise, lots of missed opportunities to ride the rides DD, you, and even DH want to ride on. It’s just so time efficient too!


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[umsh]

When we went to Disney in the spring, we planned last minute (as in bought tickets two weeks before going)...I thought there’d be no point in even trying with FastPass, but I was wrong. Even if the top attractions are booked, it’s still worth using FastPass to save time on other rides you know you’ll want to ride. I was surprised how easy it was to book them and change them, and we were able to get FastPasses for most everything we wanted, except for the new Pandora rides.


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[lizzywednesday]

The tickets have numbers on them. You put those numbers on the website. You book 3 fast passes. It's free and easy. I wish there was some way you could appeal to him to not be stubborn about this!

I do not have the ticket information, therefore I cannot book the FastPasses myself.

HOWEVER, he mentioned them this morning and we cannot book them until later this week. So, we need to guess which rides DD wants (I know she wants the Slinky Dog coaster and the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, but I'm not 100% about other stuff) and book our times for those.

[lizzywednesday]

Fast pass does not cost extra.

Good to know; you have to pay extra for FlashPass at Great Adventure (and for MagicPass at Sesame Place), so I was worried that it would be another charge at Disney. I suppose since they are open year-'round, they don't have to charge extra like those parks do!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Just ask for the ticket info. :)
FYI- odds are low of getting Slinky. Onsite guests can book fast passes 60 days ahead of their trips, offsite 30 days. So, no matter what you are late and most of them are gone before the 30 day window opens. But, if you can arrive real early (like and hour before opening) you can ride with a better line OR hit it in the last 1-2 hours of the park. You can download the app now and start to see what wait times are like. It's likely the same story with 7 Dwarves. So, if your dh doesn't want to disappoint dd you need to appeal to him to either book the fast passes or do it yourself.

[lizzywednesday]

Just ask for the ticket info. :)
FYI- odds are low of getting Slinky. Onsite guests can book fast passes 60 days ahead of their trips, offsite 30 days. So, no matter what you are late and most of them are gone before the 30 day window opens. But, if you can arrive real early (like and hour before opening) you can ride with a better line OR hit it in the last 1-2 hours of the park. You can download the app now and start to see what wait times are like. It's likely the same story with 7 Dwarves. So, if your dh doesn't want to disappoint dd you need to appeal to him to either book the fast passes or do it yourself.

Good to know; he'll do his best. I actually have to get DD through her get-ready-for-school routine in the time window he told me.

[lizzywednesday]

Mini-update:

Thank you everyone for all your help.

DH did the FastPass thing and we got some good attractions, so as long as we pay attention to the queue times and other stuff, we may be able to get the coasters DD wants to ride (7 Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog.)

He is considering getting MagicBands, but DD's favorite color was showing as sold out, so he didn't quite know what to do.

He also ordered her an autograph pack thing that he found on Amazon, so she'll have a shot at getting autographs from her favorite princesses and other characters.

[jgenie]

Mini-update:



He is considering getting MagicBands, but DD's favorite color was showing as sold out, so he didn't quite know what to do.



I have green, blue and red sitting in my closet. Send me a pm with your address if you want me to send them to you!

[lizzywednesday]

I have green, blue and red sitting in my closet. Send me a pm with your address if you want me to send them to you!

Thank you so much for this very kind offer, but DH had already ordered by the time I saw it.

We told her yesterday and she was bouncing off the walls; I just hope she'll be able to get through school today and tomorrow without being disruptive.

[LD92599]

Thank you so much for this very kind offer, but DH had already ordered by the time I saw it.

We told her yesterday and she was bouncing off the walls; I just hope she'll be able to get through school today and tomorrow without being disruptive.


How was your trip? Did you go during Jersey Week?! We were in the parks ONE of the Jersey week days - it was SO crowded! Hope the FP's worked out for you!

[jgenie]

Thank you so much for this very kind offer, but DH had already ordered by the time I saw it.

We told her yesterday and she was bouncing off the walls; I just hope she'll be able to get through school today and tomorrow without being disruptive.

I missed this when you originally replied. I hope you had a great trip!!

[lizzywednesday]

How was your trip? Did you go during Jersey Week?! We were in the parks ONE of the Jersey week days - it was SO crowded! Hope the FP's worked out for you!

We did go during Jersey Week. It wasn't terrible except at Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios - wall-to-wall people there! - but it was also Saturday. We did the fireworks at MK that night (also wall-to-wall people on Main Street.)

DD was insanely excited to meet her favorite princesses - Rapunzel, Tiana, Elena, and Cinderella - our first day, but refused to ride Space Mountain (she literally melted down and wouldn't board, which was fine because that meant I had someone to watch my bag - she and DH met me at the exit; DH was too tall/heavy to fit safely into the car, so he wasn't able to ride anyway) ... and then freaked out about riding Spaceship Earth at Epcot our 3rd day, so I rode by myself. Again. She almost refused to ride Frozen Ever After, but ended up loving it ... and we met Mulan, Anna, and Elsa at Epcot. (We spent 8 or 9 hours at Epcot, actually, because DH and I drank and snacked our way through the pavilions and food-and-wine festival.)

We spent Thursday at the Harry Potter areas in Universal (only thing we'd planned to do there) and they were busy, but didn't feel as crowded as Hollywood Studios did.

We didn't get Slinky (and the line was 2hrs long by the time we got to the park that day) but we did get Toy Story Mania ... and we have a list of rides we're interested in riding next trip.